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Down the Bridge
Down the Bridge is the ninteenth episode of the fifth season. Plot One autumn morning, Duncan furiously bumped the trucks at the Blue Mountain Quarry. "Come along. I have to get to Crovan's Gate before the Thin Controller screams at me again!" he fumed; he had been derailing lately and he was certain that it was because Mr. Hugh was not mending the line properly. However, the Thin Controller would have none of it. Duncan felt rather lonely with just Ivo Hugh; the little engine didn't talk very often. Despite Duncan being rude at times, Owen and Merrick felt sorry for him. "You'll never be alone here!" remarked Owen, "We can never move since we've been stationed here." "Indeed." agreed Merrick, "I'm always busy." Owen laughed. "You sleep most of the time!" "Not as much as I would hope." replied the gantry crane and everyone laughed, except Duncan. "Humph!" Just then the manager ran up, holding a time sheet. "The Thin Controller e-mailed me this and I printed it out! Here!" he said and gave it to the driver. "Huh. It says here that we need to be at the bridge. Something about maintenance." Duncan groaned; he hated maitenenance work, but he decided it would be better if he didn't fuss. At the bridge. the Pack were working to repair the bridge. Rheneas was busy testing the bridge to make sure it was safe. He slowly chuffed onto the bridge. It groaned and creaked. "Woah!" gasped Rheneas, "My wheels are wobbly!" The driver quickly backed him up to safety. "That means the bridge still isn't safe." groaned Ned, "It'll never be fixed!" Suddenly, Duncan puffed in, grumbling. "Ugh, this is a boring job!" he fumed. "Nonsense!" retorted Rusty, "Maintenance is important. If we just don't repair things, the railway would fall apart!" Rusty took great pride in his work. Duncan snorted. "Hey, that yellow engine right there is the kind I respect!" whispered Max. Monty agreed. "I wonder if he'll do anything interesting." he added. "Hey, now! No time to chat! Let's get movin'." grumbled the foreman so the Pack set to work. For the next hour, Max and Monty paid attention to Duncan, and could hear his grumbling. "He sounds cool." whispered Max. "We should go visit!" added Monty, so the twins rolled under the bridge and up the steep slope to the track. Duncan fumed as he bumped the trucks. "Playing around in a construction site isn't a good idea!" warned Rusty. "Yes it is!" said Monty cheekily as he raced by; he and Monty knew well what they said was a lie, but they didn't care much. "Hey, Duncan!" said Max, reading Duncan's nameplate, "I see we have many things in common." "Like what?" retorted Duncan huffily. "You like teasing others, like us. You hate maintenance, like us. You like messing around, like us. Any more questions?" Duncan considered. "Well, that's all true... I haven't had many friends, besides Smudger, but he's stuck working at the Wharf, and the Thin Controller doesn't let me go there often." "Whatta say?" grumbled Max impatiently. "Oh, alright." sighed Duncan, hoping the twins would leave him alone but they didn't. " We've got a clever plan. Wanna join us?" they kept on saying. Duncan blew his whistle impatiently. "Leave me alone! Please!" he fumed. Max and Monty glanced from side to side. "Sorry, we just wanted you to hear a plan we have for that old fusspot over there," whispered Max, looking at Rheneas. "I hope this bridge is repaired soon... I have to take a stone train from the quarry to Ulfstead Castle this evening." said Rheneas. Duncan opened his mouth to say something, but Rusty interuppted. "Duncan! Don't just sit there, puff foward already!" "I'll talk with you later..." whispered Duncan as he puffed foward with the narrow guage Breakdown Train. Like the North Western Railway, the Skarloey Railway has a Breakdown Train too, even though it's rarely used. That evening, the work was halfway done, so the workmen put in their best effort. "Come on, people! We'll work until 10:00 P.M. if you don't go faster!" fumed the foreman. "No need to be harsh." grumbled Ned as he trundled under the bridge. Max and Monty were talking to Duncan. "Ok, you trick him into going over this bridge on the way to Ulfstead Castle, and then WAM! The bridge will snap, and poor Rheneas will have an accident!" they whispered excitedly. Duncan thought for a moment; he had gotten into trouble lately, and he certainly wasn't going to get in trouble again. Then again, he didn't like the way Rheneas was acting, and it did seem like a good way to put him in his place. "Well?" huffed Monty, "Are you in or not?" Duncan sighed. "Well, I suppose, but-" "Great!" interuppted Max, with an evil grin on his face. "Best do it now." Duncan gulped; he didn't like the way Max and Monty were so excited about it. "What do you have against Rheneas, anyway?" he asked suspiciously. "Uh, well..." Just then, the foreman was yelling again. "Show's over, folks! Time to get some rest, and we'll start again tomorrow at 6:00 A.M. sharp." The engines honked their horns and blew their whistles as they puffed away. Duncan puffed up to Rheneas. "Uh, Rheneas. I know a shorter way to Ulfstead Castle." Rheneas laughed. "Oh, don't worry. I've already got my route set, so..." "Come on. Routes are just plain and boring! Take this way, and you'll be early!" Duncan persisted. "But the bridge isn't repaired. The line is supposed to be closed, you know." Duncan thought quickly. "Well, then just puff to the junction, where your driver can switch the points and go the other way. It's just as short." Rheneas sighed. "Oh, whatever. I guess that means I'll get some sleep." Duncan smirked as Rheneas puffed away. Rheneas puffed into the Blue Mountain Quarry, to find his trucks waiting in a long line. "Thanks, Ivo Hugh." said Rheneas. "No prob! I just hope I'll get back to passenger duties. It feels a little boring here." "I can understand that!" laughed Rheneas, "Merrick isn't exactly chatty." Merrick suddenly woke up. "Huh, what? Oh, it's you guys. The Thin Controller's trying to break my sleeping habit, but I can't help it. Lifting those heavy boulders tires me out." Ivo Hugh couldn't help but agree. "So long, Rheneas." he called. Rheneas whistled in reply and chuffed off into the sunset, towards Ulfstead Castle. Dusk soon turned into darkness, and the driver turned Rheneas' light on. Rheneas yawned. "Ugh, I'm glad this is my last train of the day..." He puffed up to a junction, but the signalman had switched the points to the broken bridge. But Rheneas didn't notice until it was too late! "Ah!" he cried as the driver put on the brakes. Sparks flew and brightened the darkness a little. Jack and Alfie were on the night shift, working on the new road that was to go under the bridge, and noticed Rheneas. "Uh oh! I better hold the bridge up for him!" gasped Jack and started to the bridge, but Aflie objected. "No! You barely handled the last two bridges you held up, and look what damage you caused for yourself." said Alfie. "But-" The bridge groaned and suddenly snapped. The supports snapped too, causing Rheneas and the train to fall to the ground. "Oh, that's just great..." he fumed. "Woah." gasped Jack. Luckliy, nobody was hurt, but Rheneas was quite shaken. "Ugh, Duncan tricked me!" he groaned. "Uh, to be honest, he didn't do anything." replied the driver, who was brushing off his knees. "What?!" "Really. It was that signalman." Rheneas groaned with fury. The guard ran back for help. The yardmaster was about to go home when the call came. "Ugh, what now?!" he fumed. "Rheneas has come off the rails. Send for Skarloey and the Breakdown Train." explained the guard. The yardmaster yawned and hung up the phone. "Hello? Hello? Answer!" grumbled the guard, but nobody answered. Meanwhile, the yardmaster arranged for Skarloey to come and then drove off towards his home. Skarloey soon arrived. "Oh, no! What happened, old friend?" "One word: Duncan." fumed Rheneas. Skarloey sighed as the cranes lifted the trucks back on the rails. Jack and Alfie exchanged puzzled looks. "It's always Duncan these days, isn't it?" sighed Skarloey. Rheneas murmured in agreement. Skarloey took Rheneas back to the sheds. "You're late." teased Duncan. "No thanks to you!" fumed Rheneas. "And," Skarloey added crossly, "The Thin Controller will see you tomorrow morning." The others looked at Duncan. "But it was Max and Monty's idea!" huffed Duncan. "Well, you shouldn't have bowed to peer pressure, Duncan." said Rusty. Duncan felt knew too well what the Thin Controller would say. Characters *Skarloey *Rheneas *Rusty *Duncan *Ivo Hugh *Jack *Alfie *Ned *Max and Monty *Owen *Merrick *Mr. Percival *Peter Sam (cameo) *Bertram (cameo) *Luke (cameo) *Oliver (cameo) *Nigel (cameo) *Smudger (mentioned) Trivia *References to Jack Jumps In and King of the Railway are used. Category:Season 5 Category:DonaldDouglasandToby6's Episodes